2020 Winter Book Stack

Happy New Year!! Hope you all had a fantastic holiday season. We are finally getting back to our normal routine here. I love the holidays but routine is always welcome after the craziness between Thanksgiving and New Years.

I have to be honest….I had no plans of ever blogging again. We just got busy last year that I decided that blogging just wasn’t going to fit into this season of our lives. I put it out of my mind and moved on. Then, oddly enough, I was on the bank app on my phone last month and noticed that I had a renewal fee from WordPress. Ha! Guess I forgot to stop it. And since I was charged the renewal fee, I feel like maybe I’ll give it a try again this year to at least get my money’s worth, right? We’ll see how it goes. Not holding my breath or anything but I do enjoy blogging when I have the time.

Anyway, as I was clearing off my desk in the dining room last week, I came across a stack of books that I slowly collected last year but never either finished or even started. My goal for this winter is to read each one before I purchase anymore books.

I’ll admit…last year got a little crazy and things did not go like I had planned. We suffered loss in several areas on top of over-committing ourselves in other areas. I plan on recapping 2019 just to get it out of my head so details on all that happened last year to follow later. Suffice to say, I found myself stuck in a low place and wallowed there for a while. It only got worse as the year went by so I didn’t get any meaningful reading done. I stuck to mostly fantasy fiction so I could lose myself in a make-believe world that always came with a happy ending.

I want to start this year off on a better foot. Take better care of my mental and emotional health. Part of that is reading books that inspire and motivate me. And sitting in a neat little pile on my desk were a few books that I know will help reset my mind.

My Winter book stack list and the plan:

Daring Greatly -I started this but only got about a chapter or two in before setting it down last year. This one will probably be last on my winter reading list for no other reason than I am just slightly more excited about the other books on my list.

Fervent -I’ve read this twice before but it’s a book that always encourages and inspires me. I need some of that in my life right now. I plan to read a little every morning and stretch it out over the rest of winter.

The Brave Learner -started this one last year too but never finished. I want to jump back into this one after I read Of Mess and Moxie. I feel I need the encouragement (and permission to relax) in my homeschool that Julie Bogart always brings to the table. I also need to keep reading The Writer’s Jungle too.

Homeschool Bravely -opened it for two seconds and then set it down. I knew when I bought it that I would want to read it but just never could get myself to start. I’m keeping this one for late February when homeschool burnout usually begins.

Everybody Always -Read a few chapters before I put it down. Bob Goff is always so encouraging but I wasn’t feeling it last year. I really just wanted to sit in my misery. I’ll continue this one after I’ve read The Brave Learner.

Of Mess and Moxie -I don’t even remember buying this but again Jen Hatmaker is another encourager. I know I’ll enjoy this book if I would just start it. I’m starting with this one. I feel like this one will be light-hearted and full of laughs. I definitely need some of that!

Since I’m on such a fiction kick and struggling to add any non-fiction, I’m challenging myself to alternate the above books with the fiction books I’m reading on Kindle Unlimited. I read on my phone a lot at night after the hubs has gone to sleep so obviously this will be a challenge. Too easy just to pick up my phone and open the Kindle App.

My hope is by reading these books I will feel refreshed and inspired enough to have a productive start to the new year. Winter is so hard on my mental health already. I’m such a summer girl! And with all the struggles of last year, I need the extra hand up. Looking forward to a happier, healthier 2020!